My Mom Likes My Facebook Posts (And Other Social Media Lies We Tell Ourselves)

Every year brings with it a new marketing “thing” that all the cool kids are using, new strategies for the familiar channels we still use, and new challenges as we weather economic and social hurdles. 2020 has, without any doubt, been a cluster. Now, more than ever, it’s important that you are clear on what your marketing is actually doing for your business - and to face the lies head-on.

Here are 4 you need to get out of your head, immediately.

Marketing Lie 1. My Mom likes my Facebook posts, so that’s helping my reach

Whether it’s your mom, your best friend, or your husband’s ex-roommate who just has a lot of time on his hands, when the same people like your posts, Facebook recognizes this. Although they may count it as an “engagement,” it is actually doing nothing for your overall reach in people’s feeds. Business posts see very little traction to begin with on Facebook, even less when you’re only capturing likes. Add to that that the same 5 people are liking your posts? That tells Facebook that your posts aren’t worth viewing, and pushes you to the very bottom of people’s feeds.

Marketing Lie 2. College graduates are my best option for social media management

Ugggh. I’m going to say this one, again, for the people in the back: youth does not equate social media know-how. In fact, Generation Z is perhaps less connected to social media than their parents. Why? For the reason I just said. Why do something your parents are doing? That takes all the cool out of it. And, for most younger demographics, social media is a place to connect with friends, not business. They share personal content, not professional. They view their feeds as an observer, not with a strategic lens. If you need someone to manage your professional social media channels, you’re going to need a professional.

Marketing Lie 3. Everyone is focused on social media right now

You’re right, everyone is focused on social media right now. You know what sucks though? Everyone is focused on social media right now. You need to diversify your marketing tactics to reach your clients. If you’re focused only on social, you are playing in a very competitive field. Think about mailers. Webinars. Google ads. Blogs. Don’t put all your eggs into this marketing basket.

Marketing Lie 4. Your followers need to be potential clients.

Nope. Your followers need to be champions of your brand. Just like your physical network of business contacts are not all potential clients - but their networks might be. The same is true for social media. You want your name/logo to come across someone’s feed to who knows someone else that needs your service. Recently, it’s been said that "social media is the new word of mouth.” We’re not arguing.

True: social media saw a major increase in usage when the pandemic hit. Maybe because this has always been a comfortable place for us, late at night in bed when we can’t sleep, or sitting on the couch while “watching” Netflix. It’s where we can feel connected. It made sense that we threw our businesses on there as well, and scrambled to develop some sort of strategy when we relied on other marketing avenues in the past. Pandemic or no, it’s important to remember that no one marketing strategy is a stronghold. And especially not one as amorphous as social media.

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